As you are used to, we regularly post beautiful drone videos on DroneXL. In 2021, we will broaden this tradition by also sharing “regular” videos that stand out for the creative use of drone shots. A good example of this is a short documentary about the French quad rider David Tharan. Thanks to the cinematic FPV drone shots you get a unique impression of his stunts.
France’s highest administrative court, at the urging of privacy activists, has banned the use of drones by police to monitor public protests in Paris, reports the BBC. According to the activists, the use of drones with cameras goes against individual freedom of expression.
After the DJI store in Paris, DJI just opened another one in Lyon, France today. People are invited to visit the brand new location on 4 rue du Président Carnot in Lyon.
Hat tip to Helicomicro.
During a traffic stop near the French city of Nancy, a man who was possibly planning to carry out a terrorist attack using a drone was arrested. In addition to a drone with an ignition mechanism on board, explosives were also found in the car of the suspected drone terrorist. Police forces in other countries have been made aware of the threat.
In the French Alps ski resort Val Thorens has announced that it will start using thermal drones to help rescue workers on the alpine ski slopes.
France’s Ministry of the Sea is deploying a sniffer drone in the Pas-de-Calais region, bordering the Strait of Dover, which is the world’s busiest area for ship movements, to tighten control of ship emissions.
Parrot has been in the news recently for ending their consumer drone offering, going after DJI by saying that you can’t trust Chinese-made drones as part of their ANAFI USA marketing campaign, and for having their PR Firm push data security reports to the foreground that DJI says contain ‘inaccuracies and misleading statements.’ In the midst of all this, Parrot announces that they will expand their partnership with Dronisos and use the ANAFI platform to do so.
On Saturday, July 18, 2020, 120 firefighters of SDIS 44 quickly intervened and put out the fire in the Nantes cathedral. Some of the firefighters’ drone footage was subsequently shared on YouTube.
The French government plans to buy 651 drones for surveillance purposes, details of which are outlined in a tender worth almost €4M ($4.3M USD). The tender, titled “Drones” was published on April 12th on the official bulletin of public procurement announcements. It comes from the Ministry of the Interior, via the Purchasing, Equipment and Logistics Service for Homeland Security.
A French police officer explains how he uses the DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise to fight the Coronavirus in Doubs, France, close to the Swiss border. The DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise is outfitted with a loudspeaker. This allows the police to fly over certain areas, such as the popular cliffs in Doubs, and look for people who are in violation of the stay-at-home order.